When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as their new head coach, it was no surprise to see the new coaching staff littered with veteran coaches with strong ties to McCarthy. Likewise, nobody was shocked when quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to unite with his old head coach.
While fans are focused on the start of Steelers training camp (as they should be), the team quietly lost out on a quarterback contingency plan that would have been a perfect backup option if the roster unfolds as we expect.
On Wednesday, as the Steelers were preparing for their first training camp practice, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that the Atlanta Falcons are signing free-agent quarterback Cooper Rush. The long-time veteran was McCarthy's backup QB to Dak Prescott in Dallas, and Rush was respectable for the Cowboys in a pinch.
Rush would have been the ideal practice squad quarterback for the Steelers if the team decides to part ways with Mason Rudolph during roster cutdowns after training camp, but this may no longer be possible.
Cooper Rush would have been an ideal contingency QB plan for the Pittsburgh Steelers if the team cuts Mason Rudolph
If Rudolph finds a way to stick around as the Steelers' QB2 for the 2026 season, signing Rush wouldn't make a lick of sense. However, it makes all the sense in the world if Rudolph is the quarterback who is ultimately traded or released by the team.
Outside of a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, Rudolph is the only other QB on the roster with in-game experience—meaning that there's a chance the Steelers could go into the season with Will Howard and Drew Allar as the two reserve quarterbacks who have never taken a snap in the NFL (and to this point, neither has even been on the field for a preseason snap).
Most fans want the team to look ahead and prepare for the future at the position. Thus, many are hoping it's Howard who is kept alongside Allar for the team's QB depth.
If this ends up being the case, Cooper Rush would have been the perfect backup plan.
Rush went 9-5 as a starter under McCarthy in Dallas while throwing for 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a 91.1 passer rating. This 14-game sample came over a four-season span, but Rush's numbers with the Cowboys were bordering on low-end starter.
While there's no guarantee he could repeat that success if called upon by the Steelers, we know that Rush has a relationship with McCarthy dating back to his rookie season in 2017. After spending eight years together, these two would quickly find a way to get on the same page if Rodgers were to go down with an injury.
There were two ways that Rush could have found himself in Pittsburgh. The most ideal route for the team would have been to stash him on the practice squad and call him up as soon as one of the team's three QBs gets injured. The second way would have been to land on the roster if one of Rodgers, Howard, or Allar gets hurt this summer.
But with Rush now on the Falcons, the Steelers' secret backup plan at quarterback may no longer be possible. Nobody would have been rooting for Rush to see the field in Pittsburgh, but if the team keeps Howard over Rudolph, we just have to hope that he's ready to see the field in a pinch.
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